Athletic shoes, for example, running or cross-training shoes, are generally designed to provide a greater degree of comfort and support to the feet of a wearer while minimizing size and overall weight. As such, lighter-weight materials are typically used in the manufacture of athletic shoes. To maintain comfort, athletic shoes are typically made from flexible materials such as foam and rubber. In order to reduce weight, the materials are generally made as thin as possible. Additionally, partially open materials such as mesh or other woven materials may be used to manufacture one or more portions of an athletic shoe such as the top of the toe box or the inner/outer sidewalls of the shoes.
By reducing the overall weight (and, as a result, the thickness of the materials used), durability of the athletic shoes is negatively impacted. Damage to an athletic shoe, whether merely cosmetic or directly related to the comfort and/or functionality of the shoe, is common no matter how well cared for the shoes are. For example, for a typical running shoe, the wearer puts a large amount of pressure on various parts of the shoe through normal activity, such as running or walking. Similarly, during normal activity, the wearer's foot can rub against inner portions of the shoe, weakening those portions and potentially creating one or more holes. For example, a runner may develop a hole on the top of a toe box of a running shoe after a period of typical usage of the shoe. Thus, through no misuse of the shoe on the part of the wearer, the shoe can be rendered cosmetically or functionally damaged with little or no means of prevention.